17-8-2023(KUALA LUMPUR) The aftermath of the Good Vibes Festival (GVF) in Malaysia’s sudden cancellation continues to ripple through the music community, as organisers make a heartfelt plea to ticketholders to consider forfeiting their refunds in a bid to rescue the local music extravaganza.
The three-day homegrown music festival, originally scheduled to span from July 21 to 23, met an abrupt end after its first day when Matty Healy, the lead singer of the UK band The 1975, took a bold stance against Malaysia’s anti-LGBTQ laws during the band’s performance. To further emphasize his message, Healy shared an on-stage kiss with a male bandmate.
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Taking to social media on Wednesday (August 16), GVF’s organisers, Future Sound Asia, released a statement on the festival’s official Instagram page. The post outlined various refund options available to ticketholders affected by the cancellation. These options included foregoing full refunds, using the refunded amount for tickets to the 2024 or 2025 event – along with RM100 drinks vouchers – and the choice of either full or partial refunds.
As the statement urged ticketholders to consider their refund choices, it also stressed the festival’s significance to the Malaysian music scene. “If you can spare or defer any amount of your refund, it would be greatly appreciated and goes a long way towards helping to #SaveGVF,” the organisers wrote.
The Instagram post further highlighted the numerous individuals behind the festival’s execution, each of whom would directly benefit from the community’s contribution. This encompasses food vendors, the on-site working crew, security providers, and the stage crew.
Acknowledging the disappointment surrounding the festival’s cancellation, the organisers conveyed empathy for ticketholders and their experiences. “The mechanism is not perfect, and it may not satisfy everyone fully, but we hope you understand that we are trying to fairly compensate ticket holders as best we can,” they expressed.
Amid the efforts to salvage the festival’s future, Future Sound Asia has also initiated legal proceedings against The 1975.
